Individual semiconductor (integrated circuit) devices (dies) are typically produced by creating several identical devices on a semiconductor wafer using known techniques of photolithography, deposition, diffusion and the like. These processes are intended to create a plurality of fully functional integrated circuit devices, after which the individual dies are singulated (severed) from the semiconductor wafer. In practice, physical defects in the wafer itself and/or defects in the processing of the wafer often lead to some of the dies being “good” (fully functional) and some of the dies being “bad” (non-fully functional). It is generally desirable to be able to identify which of the plurality of dies on the wafer are good dies prior to their packaging (encapsulation within a transfer-molded plastic, ceramic or metal package for subsequent integration into a circuit), and preferably prior to their being singulated from the wafer. To this end, a wafer tester or “prober” is used to make a plurality of discrete pressure connections to a like plurality of discrete connection pins (or bond pads) on the dies. In this manner, the semiconductor dies can be tested and exercised prior to singulating the dies from the wafer. A conventional component of a wafer tester is a probe card assembly. In use, the wafer or device under test (DUT) and the probe card assembly are brought together so that the outboard tips of a plurality of probe elements are brought into electrical engagement with corresponding die pads on the wafer.